(New 2014-11-11) CPS ITS message on patching and pop-up messages
In an email dated Mon., 10 Nov 2014, the ITS dept at CPS sent the notification quoted below to all staff. You might want to mention it to teachers you are working with, if they have noticed alerts on their computers and were not aware of this ITS renewed patching practice.
The message:
Dear CPS Colleagues,
Please be aware that ITS has resumed patching District machines on a monthly basis in order to enhance security and ensure the good health of CPS computers. The next round of patching begins November 10
If you notice a pop-up message in the toolbar of your Windows device announcing the computer needs to be rebooted, please restart your machine as a final step to apply the patches to your device.
Please note: we will continue patching on a monthly basis, and you may see the reboot message in the future
If you need further assistance, please contact the IT Service Desk at (773) 553-3925 option 9, your school TechCo or Field Support Service vendor
(New 2014-10-27) Google Chrome browser "Out of date" alert messages
The officially-installed "Google Apps" [square icon] CPS version of the Chrome browser has, since suddenly last summer, been displaying on the alerts text band near the top, a message that it is out of date. This has caused some consternation among teachers, especially among those who have clicked on the Update link and get a message that they don't have sufficient permissions.
CPS ITS has sent out a message clarifying that they will be pushing an update, and that teachers should not expect to update this on their own.
FYI, the permissions issue is not really just that -- if you log in as TechCo and try the update link, it still would not work. (There is a manual update available on the School-ADM01's which techco can run. We don't know if this accomplishes the same version as CPS ITS is pushing.)
If you are called on to help a teacher who is getting this update alert, please convey the "wait for the official pushed update" message. You can also show them the Dismiss button/link in the Alerts bar, if that makes it easier for them to continue and do their work. You could even offer to install Firefox if that would make it easier for them to continue their work!
(New 2014-10-27) Internet Explorer 9 update pushed
Many Windows computers in the schools have already received a pushed update that installed IE9. (We think this was mostly/only on Windows 7 computers.)
When a user opens IE, they are given a screen inviting them to configure details of the IE9. Depending on circumstances, you could help them do that, or help them skip it for now.
(New 2013-04-11) Why, when, and how to make a teacher an admin on their Windows computer
A teacher who is logged into their own CPS Windows desktop or laptop, or a student computer in their classroom, may get a message along the lines of "You must have administrator privileges on this computer to complete this installation" when trying to install a program they have obtained approval to use, or even just from plugging in a printer or other USB device which wants to load a driver.
One good type of response from us is to simply offer to do the particular installation yourself, on their behalf.
Login as an administrator in an account you have access to, most likely techco.
Do the installation.
Log out of techco and login as the shared student login, or ask the teacher to sign on with their own login, whichever is the normal way that computer is used.
Test that the installed program or device is in fact available to this other user.
(Alternately to switching to a full login as techco, if there is an installer file you can right-click (or shift-right-click on W7) and use Run-as-other-user. This may be the subject of a separate tech-tip.)
If this sort of situation comes up repeatedly for a particular teacher, they may request administrator rights to their computer(s); perhaps even explicitly requesting "Can you tell me the techco password".
TO BE CONTINUED
(New 2012-10-25) Desktops should have gotten "Lockdown Browser" and "Google @ CPS" shortcut icons
These were pushed or hand-installed over the summer.
The "Lockdown Browser" is for the NWEA-MAP assessment. It is a self-contained executable, but also has a techco-installable install file on School-ADM01. The fall testing period for this has ended, so computers lacking the software evidently were not used and are not an urgent concern. But if they are in a lab used for this testing we should try to install this in prep for the later assessment periods. See your TRA for installation instructions.
The "Google @ CPS" program shortcut / web shortcut shows up as the square Google Apps icon (same colors as single-user Google Chrome "beachball" icon) and it opens a multi-user-installed Chrome browser that starts at http://google.cps.edu -- the new CPS email system. This should be installed under techco login using custom installer (so don't just go to chrome.google.com and install the generic public Chrome browser),
(New /2012-05-31) Trend Removal tool uploaded to our Dropbox and Google Drive shares
This refers to the CPS-mandated antivirus program which was used prior to the current McAfee -- that would be two years back, at the least. However, it has been stuck and apparently uninstallable on a few computers (maybe mostly those set up recently with an old image including Trend, then remediated later).
Prior to this tool, the standard advice for removing Trend was to run the McAfee installer, which only now and then worked. There was also a complex recipe for Regedit, after which the "Add and Remove Software" wizard would work.
CUIP has not yet tried this for ourselves; it comes recommended by some school TechCos. If you try it out, please let s know how it worked. There is not just one file but a folder, with an executable and an INI file that apparently should be downloaded along with the executable. (The folder also holds a log file, but this probably is accidentally included and not needed.)
- (New 2014-11-11) CPS ITS message on patching and pop-up messages
- In an email dated Mon., 10 Nov 2014, the ITS dept at CPS sent the notification quoted below to all staff. You might want to mention it to teachers you are working with, if they have noticed alerts on their computers and were not aware of this ITS renewed patching practice.
- The message:
- Dear CPS Colleagues,
- Please be aware that ITS has resumed patching District machines on a monthly basis in order to enhance security and ensure the good health of CPS computers. The next round of patching begins November 10
- If you notice a pop-up message in the toolbar of your Windows device announcing the computer needs to be rebooted, please restart your machine as a final step to apply the patches to your device.
- Please note: we will continue patching on a monthly basis, and you may see the reboot message in the future
- If you need further assistance, please contact the IT Service Desk at (773) 553-3925 option 9, your school TechCo or Field Support Service vendor
- (New 2014-10-27) Google Chrome browser "Out of date" alert messages
- The officially-installed "Google Apps" [square icon] CPS version of the Chrome browser has, since suddenly last summer, been displaying on the alerts text band near the top, a message that it is out of date. This has caused some consternation among teachers, especially among those who have clicked on the Update link and get a message that they don't have sufficient permissions.
- CPS ITS has sent out a message clarifying that they will be pushing an update, and that teachers should not expect to update this on their own.
- FYI, the permissions issue is not really just that -- if you log in as TechCo and try the update link, it still would not work. (There is a manual update available on the School-ADM01's which techco can run. We don't know if this accomplishes the same version as CPS ITS is pushing.)
- If you are called on to help a teacher who is getting this update alert, please convey the "wait for the official pushed update" message. You can also show them the Dismiss button/link in the Alerts bar, if that makes it easier for them to continue and do their work. You could even offer to install Firefox if that would make it easier for them to continue their work!
- (New 2014-10-27) Internet Explorer 9 update pushed
- Many Windows computers in the schools have already received a pushed update that installed IE9. (We think this was mostly/only on Windows 7 computers.)
- When a user opens IE, they are given a screen inviting them to configure details of the IE9. Depending on circumstances, you could help them do that, or help them skip it for now.
- (New 2013-04-11) Why, when, and how to make a teacher an admin on their Windows computer
- A teacher who is logged into their own CPS Windows desktop or laptop, or a student computer in their classroom, may get a message along the lines of "You must have administrator privileges on this computer to complete this installation" when trying to install a program they have obtained approval to use, or even just from plugging in a printer or other USB device which wants to load a driver.
- One good type of response from us is to simply offer to do the particular installation yourself, on their behalf.
- Login as an administrator in an account you have access to, most likely techco.
- Do the installation.
- Log out of techco and login as the shared student login, or ask the teacher to sign on with their own login, whichever is the normal way that computer is used.
- Test that the installed program or device is in fact available to this other user.
- (Alternately to switching to a full login as techco, if there is an installer file you can right-click (or shift-right-click on W7) and use Run-as-other-user. This may be the subject of a separate tech-tip.)
- If this sort of situation comes up repeatedly for a particular teacher, they may request administrator rights to their computer(s); perhaps even explicitly requesting "Can you tell me the techco password".
- TO BE CONTINUED
- (New 2012-10-25) Desktops should have gotten "Lockdown Browser" and "Google @ CPS" shortcut icons
- These were pushed or hand-installed over the summer.
- The "Lockdown Browser" is for the NWEA-MAP assessment. It is a self-contained executable, but also has a techco-installable install file on School-ADM01. The fall testing period for this has ended, so computers lacking the software evidently were not used and are not an urgent concern. But if they are in a lab used for this testing we should try to install this in prep for the later assessment periods. See your TRA for installation instructions.
- The "Google @ CPS" program shortcut / web shortcut shows up as the square Google Apps icon (same colors as single-user Google Chrome "beachball" icon) and it opens a multi-user-installed Chrome browser that starts at http://google.cps.edu -- the new CPS email system. This should be installed under techco login using custom installer (so don't just go to chrome.google.com and install the generic public Chrome browser),
- (New /2012-05-31) Trend Removal tool uploaded to our Dropbox and Google Drive shares
- This refers to the CPS-mandated antivirus program which was used prior to the current McAfee -- that would be two years back, at the least. However, it has been stuck and apparently uninstallable on a few computers (maybe mostly those set up recently with an old image including Trend, then remediated later).
- Prior to this tool, the standard advice for removing Trend was to run the McAfee installer, which only now and then worked. There was also a complex recipe for Regedit, after which the "Add and Remove Software" wizard would work.
- CUIP has not yet tried this for ourselves; it comes recommended by some school TechCos. If you try it out, please let s know how it worked. There is not just one file but a folder, with an executable and an INI file that apparently should be downloaded along with the executable. (The folder also holds a log file, but this probably is accidentally included and not needed.)
Other notes previously on this page but pulled off into an archive page.